Do you think hiring a local experienced tour guide is worthwhile when you're on an overseas holiday?

Let me tell you how I learnt of it.

🏆 20 years ago, I was one of Top 10 Backpackers in China. With that Do-It-Yourself mentality, I travelled to New Zealand alone in 2002.

After half year English study in Auckland, I organised myself a 3-week self-drive road trip around the country.

🚘 My car broken down just on the second day, and I ended up with a serious car accident. Thank God, I wasn’t hurt physically (but scared to death!😱)

Nothing could stop me. After a short rest, I joined a guided group tour, did bungy jumping, gold panning, Milford Sound cruising, meeting interesting travellers from other countries...

🏖 I had an unforgettable experience in my first holiday tour in New Zealand. It’s safe, informative, worry-free and tons of fun. That’s a real holiday!!

I’d like to forget but I want to share with you that the price, time and stress I paid to get my car repaired, accommodation cancelled and rebooked, the court case sorted were tremendous. 😰

🎯 Being always passionate about travelling, I’d learnt the lesson from my trip, and then I studied Travel & Tourism Management in New Zealand.

If I can share just one travel tip for your once-in-lifetime overseas holiday, consider using a local travel expert. 👈

I’ve been doing tour services nearly 20 years now, so I can help you get your DREAM holiday in New Zealand or Spain without stress, and return home richer in connection with nature, other cultures and yourself.

While ancient architecture is a significant part of a visit to Spain, you might also enjoy the smaller features and moments in public places for sketching, such as a colourful balcony, a beautiful tile, a horse-driven tour carriage, or a passionate flamenco dancer.

We understand it. Your local tour directors work closely with your sketch tutor to make sure that we find the places and you sketch the moments, with countless sketching opportunities.

Vivienne Lingard, an experienced sketcher, illustrator, art teacher and curator, shows in her travel sketch blog how she absorbed the richness of Sevilla's cityscapes and flamenco experience in her sketchbook, with a group of kiwi sketchers in the Travel Sketch Spain Holiday Tour in April 2019, organised by 2WAYS Tours in partnership with ErinHill Sketching New Zealand.

The contrasting landscape heading to Seville was amazing: cypress trees dark against earthen buildings, scruffy pine-nut trees, tiny old huts, and fields; where grapes replaced orange trees, then olives, as the train sped past. Undulating hills, the soil darkening to a burnt sienna and white houses with orange tiled roofs. A change back to orange groves as we neared Seville, sun-touched and golden. What a warm welcome.

We sketched, just a short time after our arrival at the Guadalquivir River, looking over to La Torre del Oro (the gold tower).

El Alcázar, the Moorish Caliphas palaces and gardens, is a stunning place, quite glorious; from the art adorning its walls, to the tiles on its floors. It is the perfect environment for a romantic art-loving person like me!

Come evening, it was time for our visit to the Flamenco concert. I was content to watch the two terrific female dancers, swirl, seduce, scowl, and dance around the sole male dancer, their feet stamping urgently on the wooden floor. The deep husky tones of the singer’s voice, as she clapped, urged the dancers on. It was mesmerising.

The following day, more gardens, horses and carriages, at Parque de Maria Luisa.

A great big thanks here to our fabulous guides Amelia and Ellen, who along with Tony made this Sketch Spain trip such a memorable experience. XXX

Is travel sketch a good marriage between sketching and enjoying holiday trip in Spain?

You travel to Spain to sketch. You just want to sketch and go sightseeing, sketch and enjoy eating, sketch and experience cultures.

That's why we carefully choose Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla - the three most interesting cities in Spain for you to travel sketch because of their unique cityscapes, colour intensity and cultural diversity.

Then you might think the tension that there would not be enough time for sketching because of too much time in travelling from point A to point B.

On the other hand, you might feel overwhelmed or tired after one-and-half-hour concentration on sketching. You need to do something pleasantly different from sketching itself or sketching the same subject.

So it's not about the time, it's about the right balance of learning sketch lessons, completing your sketching and colouring on location, and various travelling experiences that inspire you sketch better with more confidence and joy.

Vivienne Lingard, an experienced sketcher, illustrator, art teacher and curator, shows in her travel sketch blog how she confronted the most common travel sketching challenges and captured them in her sketchbook, with a group of kiwi sketchers in the Travel Sketch Spain Holiday Tour in April 2019, organised by 2WAYS Tours in partnership with ErinHill Sketching New Zealand.

It was a peaceful 3hr train ride from Barcelona to Valencia, which gave me time to sketch the orange tree (above), abundant with Valencia oranges – naturally. I looked about the carriage, and saw most of the group head-down sketching, or colouring their work, assiduously.

Torres de Serranos – our first sketching destination. Except, when I faced the large stone edifice, as wonderful as it was, I felt the familiar ‘I don’t feel like drawing you’ feeling overcome me, and sketched a street corner behind it, as the scene appealed more.

The next day we climbed aboard the taxi-bus for the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Science complex). Boy oh boy! This was the most amazing set of buildings. Curves overlapping more curves; arcs, arches and connecting bridges, mirrored in vast pools of still water. I secured a nice spot in the sun, took out my sketchbook, took hold of my pen and started. I did a couple of ‘thumbnail’ sketches first, looking and looking, measuring with my eyes before tackling a larger view.

And, as if we hadn’t enjoyed enough fantastic food in Valencia, the next day Amelia and Ellen took us to a stupendous paella lunch at La Albufera, a large wetlands and lake area. A couple of hours later, we were beside the lake climbing into a Vela Latina, a traditional boat. What a pleasant excursion. The group are opening books and sketching but I continue to dream my own story.

​We can tell you 99 reasons why you should join the Travel Sketch Holiday Tour in Spain with 2WAYS.

The most important reason is:our appreciative clients, dear guests, fellow sketchers, travel companions, like us do things like this.

A group of kiwi sketchers loved how it feeld when they enjoyed sketching while travelling, sightseeing, eating, cultural experiencing and having fun along their creative art journey around Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla in April 2019. The Travel Sketch trip to Spain was organised by 2WAYS in partnership of ErinHill Sketching New Zealand.

Here are some success stories…

The stress was removed, by 2WAYS, meaning I could just sketch and have fun.

" I felt that there had been such effort made in selecting places to stay, sites to visit, travel et al, faultless.

It was relaxing, to travel, and not have to plot and plan all the aspects myself. The stress was removed, by 2WAYS, meaning I could just sketch and have fun.

​The friendliness, helpfulness and knowledge, from both Amelia and Ellen was fantastic. They were always attentive to the groups’ needs and went out of their way to accommodate us all." Vivienne Lingard

2WAYS arranged for us to see the best of the best.

​ "The iconic monuments and places of interest to visit were well chosen for the time we had in each place.

While ancient architecture is a significant part of a visit to Spain, what I particularly enjoyed were the smaller features and moments in public places for sketching.

I really enjoyed the opportunities at the end of the day to have the sketch tutor’s input finishing our day’s sketches over a drink.

I loved the flamenco concert – that was simply fabulous. 2WAYS arranged for us to see the best of the best." Jo Conaglen

I had a wonderful time, very satisfied, laughed a lot, ate a bit more and felt well taken care of.

​"Wonderful hotel room and the breakfast and central location, a winning combination.

My highlights were the prize winning paella, Albufera boat trip and of course the Flamenco evening…Ole.

I had a wonderful time, very satisfied, met some lovely peeps, laughed a lot, ate a bit more and felt well taken care of.

Big plus for me included the architecture with the wonderful layering of various cultures past and present…still evident...in my sketchbook." Shirley Bluett

My sketching improved markedly, from a pretty modest base. Amelia showed us places and tastes that we would have never found on our own.

"Everything was extremely well organised. We had many wonderful experiences. We learned a lot, both about sketching and Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia.

Amelia and Ellen did a wonderful job of showing us places and tastes that we would have never found on our own. They went far beyond what I would expect most travel agents or guides would do to make it memorable for us.

My sketching improved markedly, from a pretty modest base. It was great fun and we had a wonderful crew. So I would give this trip my heartiest recommendation." ​Peter Wilson

Thank you for the excellent and efficient organisation which enhanced the trip hugely.

​"Having all the details very well organised, thoughtfully selected places to visit, cultural experiences and information, always good food places advised.​Thank you for the excellent and efficient organisation which made everything flow well and enhanced the trip hugely." Kerry Chamberlain

I particularly recommend Amelia for your expertise in Spain and your skill in sharing them.

" I appreciate the way you are able and willing to adapt to individuals where possible and reasonable. I felt there was a genuine concern for the wellbeing of each person in the group.

I particularly recommend Amelia for your expertise in Spain and your skill in sharing them.

I enjoyed the excitement passion and varied experience of Spain. You have in depth knowledge of the areas of your expertise. I enjoyed very much the local and specific knowledge e.g. food. " Inie Kroef​